The best i could find so far as a laymen is the flocculation that takes place as with coca cola. Is there a place in the biology forum where we can discuss the chemical reactions taking place? It shouldn't be hard to moderate since the discussion can only revolve around red wine, peroxide, saliva, tooth enamel and the inner lining of the mouth.

Ive tried the red wine spit test and produced what you see in that link. All i need now is a "normal", scientific explanation for what i am seeing.

I don't know the time lapse shown on Carnicom's website. My question is more basic and doesn't require observing the spittle under a microscope. I simply would like to know how this resulting "gooey mass" is produced, in terms of chemical reaction. Even without peroxide, although yielding less, I can spit out what looks to me like wet chewing tobacco(for lack of a better description). What in red wine(merlot works best) reacts inside the mouth/saliva to produce sticky strands?

Oh, and for me personally, there is no time lapse. I rinse for a few minutes and spit. The macroscopic observation is the same as shown on Carnicom's website.

"only a small fraction of the antioxidants (12.2 ± 3.4 %) is precipitated when wine samples are shaken for a few minutes with non-stimulated human saliva (5:1, V:V). This last result implies that most of the polyphenols present in the red wine samples are able to surpass the barrier imposed by the saliva."

Interactions between saliva and wineFrom the table above we see that wine only contains about 0.1% tannins (also known as polyphenols). The sources of tannins found in red wine are the seeds, skin and stem of the grapes. When we drink red wine, the tannins react with proteins in our saliva to form water insoluble protein-tannin complexes. A precipitate is formed and as a result, the lubricating properties of the saliva are lost and our tongue feels rough and dry. In other words, we experience the astringency of the red wine.

What i don't get is this: The precipitate in the photo doesnt even look remotely close to the dark stringy mass I produce with or without the peroxide. So if tannin creates the precipitate shown in the link above we can rule it out. So far scientific?

Funny the shelf-life of a simple message board post! I realize that it's over 4 years later... but I'm curious if you ever found the answer(s) to this? I just recently came across the red wind/peroxide test and was surprised at what I produced. Wanting to rule out something that could... like you seem to have been seeking... a reasonable explanation, I set out on doing my research.

Oddly enough... there seems to be a TON out there about the test. And a few Snopes-related explanations regarding the actual origins of the test... but I can't seem to find ANYTHING resembling a logical answer w/accompanied details. No one even really seems to have even asked...

Except for you.

Curious is you ever got an answer outside this well-written and honorably set up query.